Summer in the Garden: Part 1

July 10, 2026

Intro

I’ve lived in Salem for about 7 years now. The town is small, stores and businesses are sparse, and it's often quiet—except when it’s not- when chaos ensues. Despite living in New Jersey my whole life, I hadn’t known the town existed until I arrived here, and while some have said there’s not as much to be desired of this seemingly overlooked neighborhood, I find that light is not as appreciated without darkness. And when you discover it amidst something dim or gloomy, it’s all the more rewarding. For example, how did I not know about this beautiful garden in the middle of town? What’s more, I’ve become an intern there for the summer.

I’ve been working at Olive Street Community Garden since May, and it has been fun, gratifying, and most of all, enlightening. It’s done a good job of making me see the neighborhood for all it is, and all it can be.

Gardens signify the beginning. Before towers, cars, and houses, the garden was the ultimate source of livelihood and grandeur. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” (Genesis 2:8-9)

While there’s more to come over the summer, I’ve been learning the ins and outs here. Hopefully in the future, I can also plant some pretty, delicious things in my own garden and brighten whatever corner of the world I wind up in.

Until then, most if not everything I’ve learned while interning at the garden so far falls under five main categories: watering, planting, weeding, mulching, and harvesting.

Watering

Every bed in the garden is much like every child in a household; each child has its own personality, and therefore requires a specialized set of parenting methods between each child. One child might need closer care, while the other requires more discipline, and the other craves independence to flourish. Just about the only thing they collectively share is their desire for food and water. Thus, I’ve learned there are more than one way to water plants, so every plant in the garden grows equally as happy and strong. 

Seedlings, the babies, share a plug tray before they’re transplanted, and they’re in a crucial stage, because their roots must learn to strengthen and expand, much like a baby must learn to walk. Thus, we don’t water them from above, but below, and allow them to dig deeper for the water on their own, so the roots grow nice and strong.

Once they’re in a new bed, they need lots of water, but in wider terrain, they risk not receiving all they need. An easy fix to this is by creating mini wells in the soil of each plant. Give it a good couple seconds to fill up, and maybe another. This not only allows the plants easy access to water, it trains the roots to grow downwards in the soil instead of out, limits the amount of weeds in the rest of the bed, and allows for less water usage overall. Smart huh?

It’s generally best not to wet the leaves of most fruits and vegetables to limit the risk of bacterial and fungal diseases, so for plants set in rows, we water between the rows, allowing water to trail into the crevice between each plant without hitting them head on.

The technique usually changes as a plant ascends each stage, but much like a parent must learn more about a child to help them grow, that’s what needs to be done with plants too.

Planting

So far, we’ve planted tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, herbs, peppers, garlic, green onions, blueberries and the list goes on. While I wasn’t present at the time some of them were planted (especially since some are perennial and have probably been around longer than I’ve even known this garden existed), I got to see firsthand how many vegetables are planted and let me tell you, it’s pretty amazing how much produce can come from an 8,646 square foot structure. I’ve mostly had a hand in planting the tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. 

First, we decide the spacing in the bed: in our standard 3 by 8 foot bed, we can get around 10 to 15 plants in. There is at least a foot of space between each plant. Next, we dig holes. A trough or gloved hands or even bare hands is fine if you want to be one with nature. I often found I have more control using my hands, even though my nails will pay for it later.

After that, in goes a hearty pinch full of plant food (we used crushed up animal bones which made me sneeze alot) and give the soil a quick mix. And lastly, we plant the vegetables. Knowing how deep to plant them depends on the plant. While the top soil of all plugs should be covered so they don’t dry out, some do well being planted just beneath the surface, while others need to be a little deeper. Once that’s all done, make your wells, and give it a generous watering.

Weeding

Arguably the most cumbersome part of gardening, weeding is essential for the progress of plant growth, and the visual of the garden, because just as a garden is biblically known for its beauty, so are weeds biblically known for being a nuisance. “…The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” (Matthew 13:24-26)

We don’t use weed killers in the garden, so toughing through the process is hard on us, especially in the heat, but the plants seem grateful. Admittedly, I still find it hard to rush through this process, often getting stuck on tediously pulling out each menial weed. Who knew weeding could be done professionally? 

One important method I learned is ruffling the dirt. Using both hands, we tousle up the beds, making sure to pull the roots out, avoiding the plants and vegetables. It was a bit concerning knowing what to pull and what not to, but as time went on, I learned the difference.

Mulching

If ever I gained a few muscles this summer, it is because I mulched. The process starts with unloading mulch with pitchforks into a massive intimidatingly tall pile, filling up wheelbarrows and distributing the mulch in all the necessary corners of the garden. It’s another pretty thing with a purpose, like the garden itself. There to discourage an onslaught of weeds by drying out the soil, and looks good while doing it. It looks much better here now, and I’m glad the job is finished. For now.

Harvesting

Okay, the part that makes gardening all worth it; harvesting. There’s something about eating food you’ve watched grow. It’s like…watching a pig grow up in your barn and then deciding one morning to make bacon.

I’m kidding. I don’t even eat meat.

Anyway, it’s very rewarding, and it makes you consider the food you’re putting in your mouth. It even makes you want to eat better. 

The first step to harvesting is knowing when herbs, fruits, and vegetables are ready to be harvested. You gotta know the end before you begin. Collards can grow bigger than the human head, Asian eggplants are thinner than the kinds you’d find in a grocery store, blueberries taste sweeter the darker they are. Harvest too soon, you’ll be stuck with bitter produce and then, what could possibly convince you to eat healthier? 

Once you’re aware of what you’re looking for, then comes the picking. Things like collards and kale can be snapped down off the stalk by hand, while things like peppers and swiss chard require scissors because the stalks are less prone to breakage. What I most enjoy harvesting are the blueberries, which is ironic considering my dad has brought up going blueberry picking with us, like he’d done as a kid, and my sister and I have vehemently shot the idea down more than once, complaining about the heat and the labor. He’d definitely say “ I told you so,” if he knew I liked it. Gosh, now I hope he doesn’t read this.

Harvesting is a gentle reminder of all the work you put in while gardening, so take extra care in enjoying this stage.

Conclusion

I’d been counting on learning how to plant, harvest and do garden work before I came here, but I didn’t know so much more could be learned. It’s more than knowledge, but a knowledge to desire more. Knowledge to want more for my family, my community, and myself. Desiring more through actively putting steps in to contribute. It’s the kind of understanding that follows you no matter where you go, or what you do, the understanding that you have the power to influence people’s lives with the fruit you bear. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. (Luke 6: 43-44) 

Hopefully I’ll bear good fruit and be a blessing to someone’s, even one person’s life. 

by Arriyannah Herring

Olive Street Community Garden Summer Intern 2026